Landry Willis is running for Oklahoma City Council, Ward 6, because he believes city government should work for the people who keep this city running renters, working families, and neighbors trying to get by and that we have to meet the climate crisis and the pressures of growth head-on, together.
Landry was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to Nikki and David Willis. His father served in the Air Force during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, where he was exposed to the military's toxic burn pits open-air pits used to dispose of chemicals, paints, medical and human waste, rubber, and petroleum products. That exposure made him sick, and in 2005 it took his life. After losing his dad, Landry watched his mom hold the family together. Nikki went back to school while working part-time and picking up odd jobs, and in 2009 she became a registered nurse. Watching her work that hard for her kids shaped how Landry thinks about everything about who shows up in our communities, who carries the weight, and who too often gets left out of the policies made about their lives.
Landry graduated from McLoud High School and went on to Rose State College, where he earned associate degrees in Political Science and Environmental Science. He transferred to Saint Louis University and finished his bachelor's degrees in the same two fields. Studying climate change, plastic pollution, and air and water quality alongside political science convinced him that the biggest problems we face are policy problems and that working people deserve a seat at the table where those policies get written. Throughout school, Landry knocked doors and did field work on local campaigns. His first job out of college was as Field Director for Mark Mann's Senate District 46 race, right here in the heart of Oklahoma City.
Landry then spent nearly two years as a Government Affairs Specialist for the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of Realtors, representing members at City Hall and the county. OKCMAR's top priorities were affordable housing and ending homelessness, and Landry helped move that work forward including supporting passage of the Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance to bring missing-middle housing back to the city's core. He participated in multiple Point-in-Time counts and toured nearly every major homelessness shelter and provider in the metro, listening to the people doing the work and the people they serve.
Today, Landry works in Government Relations for Francis Renewable Energy, an Oklahoma company on the front lines of the clean energy transition. He writes grants and handles zoning and permitting for the build-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In 2019, thanks in large part to Francis, Oklahoma became the first state in the nation with a statewide network of DC fast chargers within 50 miles of any location. Francis has since been awarded more dollars and sites than any other company in the country under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and Landry is proud to spend his days helping build the infrastructure we need to change that.
Landry doesn't claim to have all the answers. What he does have is a deep love for this city, a record of showing up on the issues that matter housing, climate, and the everyday cost of living and a commitment to listening to the neighbors he hopes to represent. Ward 6 deserves a council member who will fight for renters and working families, take the climate crisis seriously, and help guide Oklahoma City's growth in a way that includes everyone. He's asking for your vote, and he'd love to earn it.